Oklahoma State Rep. Jon Echols is a conservative Republican serving southwest Oklahoma and northwest Cleveland counties. He’s a Bible-thumping, born-again Christian who serves as a deacon in his Southern Baptist church. He’s pro-life and pro-business. And Echols is the greatest ally to medical marijuana at the state Capitol. Echols, 39, R-Oklahoma City, is co-chair of […]
CBD
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Coffee plus
University of Oklahoma’s Campus Corner in Norman just got a lot more chill thanks to the new kid on the block. Life Organics Cannafé, 588 Buchanan Ave., opened its doors in late October. The quiet cafe boasts of being the only CBD-infused cafe in the state, co-owner Jim Castor said. “When we came in, it […]
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Buyer beware
Medical marijuana regulations rolled out by the state health department in July were met with heavy pushback from the community at large and caused Gov. Mary Fallin to call for revisions and set forth emergency rules on Aug. 1. The new regulations govern the growth, sale and purchase of medical marijuana but don’t address testing, […]
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Home grown
Mary Najar remembers the day before she and her husband opened their hemp oil and cannabidiol (CBD) products store in Paseo Arts District in the fall of 2017. Their store would be the first brick-and-mortar store to sell CBD oil in Oklahoma City. But it wasn’t nerves about opening day that kept Najar up at […]
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Cover: No smoke
Medical marijuana activists were dealt a blow when the Oklahoma State Board of Health added amendments not written in the final draft of emergency regulations submitted to the board. A pair of amendments — one banning smokable marijuana, which appears to be on shaky legal ground, and another requiring dispensaries to hire full-time pharmacists — […]
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Hemp history
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. Oklahomans under the age of 85 never knew a time when it was legal to use marijuana in the state, but by the time the state made marijuana illegal, it was […]
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Gray areas
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. There are many Oklahomans who advocate for the health benefits legalized medical marijuana could bring to the state, but some law enforcement groups argue that State Question 788 will bring new […]
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Smoke session
Both bodies of the Oklahoma state Legislature adjourned earlier this month with several lawmakers eager to hit the campaign trail ahead of the June 26 primary elections. But legislators did not leave the Capitol with a clean plate of tasks and will likely be called back to the table shortly after next month’s polls close. […]
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Power plant
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. For decades, the only reality Hector Najar knew was one with unrelenting back pain. The first time he felt any kind of relief from the degenerative disc disease and chronic arthritis […]
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CBD 101
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. Three years ago, when House Bill 2154, a piece of legislation known as “Katie and Cayman’s Law” allowing children with severe epilepsy to take cannabinoids as treatment through a medical trial, […]